UPDATE: Fatal Plane Crash at Kobelt/Wallkill Airport Under Investigation

Shawangunk, N.Y. — State Police have identified the victim of Saturday’s fatal plane crash in Ulster County as 80-year-old Gerald Cotter of Milford, New Jersey.

On September 27, 2025, at approximately 2:25 p.m., troopers from the SP Highland barracks responded to reports of a small aircraft crash at the Kobelt/Wallkill Airport in the town of Shawangunk.

According to investigators, the single-engine plane went down while attempting to take off and immediately caught fire. Cotter, the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been notified, and the investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.